“How come you’ve been staying at home just fine lately, but suddenly think someone would make a move against you?”
“There are quite a few people from the Su family around here.”
Su Liumeng saw that I was about to study her dragon horns again and immediately grasped my little paw, naturally changing the subject.
“Why are your dragon horns this color?”
“Wouldn’t it look even better if they turned pink?”
I was still lost in my own world. When I saw my hand was pinned down, I immediately raised my other little hand and slapped it down without mercy.
Pa —
Little Zhizhi in the stroller heard the sound and immediately lifted her head, just in time to witness the scene.
Su Liumeng let go of my hand, “I’m being serious. Think carefully, do you have any special sixth sense?”
I closed my eyes and focused for a moment.
My sixth sense has always been strong—Su Liumeng knows this very well.
That probably comes from me having been a Destiny Stone in my previous life.
Although I’ve already reincarnated, there are still traces left—an instinctive sense for my own karmic fate.
Last time, when Su Liumeng almost had an accident in the secret realm, I could feel pain from thousands of miles away, nearly to the point of collapsing. That says a lot.
I sensed for a while, then slowly opened my eyes. “I don’t sense any danger.”
“Or rather—”
“Even if there is danger, it’s not really a threat?”
My voice gradually turned mischievous, and with my increasingly expressive little face, Su Liumeng couldn’t help pinching my cheeks.
The last few days of June.
I was standing on the balcony, gazing into the sea of clouds in the distance, so close I could almost reach out and touch them. Su Liumeng came over to the balcony. “Your withdrawal paperwork is done. Do you want to go to school in person?”
“I should go. It’s better to see things through from start to finish.”
“Aren’t you busy today? You don’t need to accompany me. I’ll just take Zhizhi and the hidden guards.”
I couldn’t set my mind at ease about Zhizhi, so I simply took her to the school with me.
“Giggle—”
Hearing that mom would take her along, the little one giggled in my arms, her chubby little hands never resting, clutching my dress and making a mess of it in no time.
“How about I go with you after all?” Su Liumeng sounded a bit hesitant.
“No need, no need.” I waved her off carelessly. “Shangguan Xiyue will be there. We’re always together, so it doesn’t matter for such a short time.”
“Mommy’s taking her daughter to school, and our Zhizhi is someone who’s been to college early. Isn’t that exciting?” I teased my daughter, listening to her sweet giggles, swaying my arms to try to lull her to sleep.
Su Liumeng hesitated for a moment. “Alright, I’ll tell Shangguan Xiyue too. If anything happens, contact me directly.”
After packing up, I asked Chunqiao to carry my bag. With my daughter in one arm, skipping the stroller, I set out for Beiqing in light gear.
“Miss, the driver is waiting in the underground garage.”
“Okay.”
It was Zhizhi’s first time riding in a car, and she looked around curiously the whole way.
“Driver, go a little slower.”
“Madam, shall I keep it at thirty kilometers per hour?”
“That’s fine.”
If the car goes too fast, there’s a strong wind. I slowly rolled down the window, and the little one immediately stretched out her arm, grabbing the edge of the glass and sticking her little head out.
To her, all the unfamiliar things outside were new and interesting.
“You can’t stick your head out. It’s dangerous. You can only look from inside the car.”
Zhizhi obediently stopped, holding her little head sideways as she watched the signs of various shops with curiosity.
She pointed somewhere, and I read out the words on the sign for her.
She mumbled, sounding like she was repeating after me, but without forming actual words yet.
That’s a good sign.
It means she’s already learning to talk.
She was wearing cute little shoes, but had never stepped on the ground. I let her stand on my thigh so she could easily look out at the world outside.
“Miss.”
“Should we drive directly into the school?”
“Let’s park here. If we want to drive in, we’d need a pass. That’s a hassle. I’ll just walk in with my daughter.”
As soon as the car stopped, I saw Shangguan Xiyue in the distance.
Su Liumeng had informed her ahead of time. She recognized our license plate and waved at me from afar.
Carrying Zhizhi, I got out from the left side. “See the person waving over there? That’s your Auntie Xiyue. You met her a few times in the past months. I wonder if you still remember.”
“She’s mommy’s best friend. If someone wants to play with you, it means they think you’re cute and want to be close to you. But you can’t just smack people in the face like you do at home. That’s not polite at all.”
Hearing the words “smack in the face,” Zhizhi waved her little hand and babbled, randomly slapping at the air, looking delighted.
“I said it’s not right to hit people, and you get even more excited.”
I pinched her cheek and put on a stern face, looking as if I was angry.
She finally settled down, no longer waving her hands. She just stared at the hand I was forcibly holding, her little head tilting in confusion. Then her other arm slowly rose and landed directly on the back of my hand.
Pa —
The slap was crisp and clear.
I froze.
I… Did I just get hit by my own daughter?
“Well, well, you really are spoiled rotten. You even dare to hit your mother now?”
“Tell me, where did you learn this from?”
“As if smacking people’s faces wasn’t enough, now you won’t even let me hold your hand?” The more I spoke, the angrier I became. I almost wanted to stuff her back in and remake her—how did I end up raising her like this, that even her own mother gets hit?
“Zhuangyu, when did I not know you were this domineering?”
Shangguan Xiyue had come over by now, and seeing the look on my face, she didn’t even dare to butt in.
This time I was truly angry.
After all I’ve done for her, pouring my heart out, I only tried to teach her a little lesson and she fights back by hitting me.
I forcefully turned her little face toward me and questioned her angrily, “Say something! Oh, right, you can’t talk yet. Then nod for me.” I was so mad I nearly forgot she couldn’t talk.
“Mommy is trying to reason with you, alright?”
“If you agree, nod your head.”
The little one had no idea why mommy suddenly got so angry. Children are born sensitive to adults’ emotions.
She shrunk her neck and curled into a little ball, nodding her head with a pitiful expression.
“Alright, since you said yes…”
“Then let me ask you, when mommy is just trying to teach you about life, you hit me—do you think that’s right?”
Zhizhi first shook her head, but when she saw me about to explode and take a big breath, she quickly nodded hard.
“I’m really about to be angered to death by you.” I looked at Shangguan Xiyue and grumbled, “I don’t want this daughter anymore. I’ll give her to you later, take her home and play with her yourself.”
Shangguan Xiyue knew I was just venting. No one would actually give away their daughter. Seeing the little one about to burst into tears, she put her hand on my shoulder. “Alright, she can’t even speak yet. How do you know a shake of her head means she thinks what you said was wrong? Maybe she was just explaining herself—it might not have anything to do with your scolding.”
Hearing this, Zhizhi stopped her tears and just kept nodding at her mother anxiously.
Looking at her frantic little face, she might as well have “I wish I could talk” written across her forehead.
My anger subsided a bit. Watching her tightly grasp my big hand, she forced her little hand under it, then raised her other hand and slapped my hand again.
Pa!
This scene—
Why did it look so familiar?
Shangguan Xiyue couldn’t help but laugh, completely amused by the little one’s adorable actions.
“See, this child is really smart. She can’t even talk yet and already knows how to reenact the scene for you.”
“Kids naturally like to move around. Who told you to keep holding her hand? She just wants to use her own hands and move a bit—of course she’d be unhappy.”
Zhizhi nodded her little head seriously. For a baby just a few months old, her little face was truly adorable. After her demonstration, she looked up at me, her big, shiny eyes so much like mine, staring unblinkingly at her mother.
“Don’t talk yet.” I said to Shangguan Xiyue. “A child can’t just learn something out of the blue. Let me think—where did this happen just now?”
Suddenly, a flash of inspiration hit me, like catching a glimpse of a swan on the sea. I grasped the key point instantly.
“I remember now! Isn’t this exactly what I did when I slapped Su Liumeng last time?”
I took a deep breath. At last, I understood the cause and effect. Turning to my daughter, I said, “Mommy was the one who kept holding your hand, that was my mistake. But you can’t just hit your mother, right?”
“Mommy treats you so well. If you act like this, of course mommy will feel hurt.”
Zhizhi nodded seriously, as if she was really reflecting.
“When mommy hit Su Liumeng last time…” I was about to say that Su Liumeng has thick skin and wouldn’t feel pain anyway, but the words stuck in my throat. Isn’t that just blatant double standards? Wouldn’t that just teach my daughter the wrong thing?
Thinking about it, Su Liumeng would feel sad, too.
But we’re so close, basically like lovers, so little things like that don’t matter.
There are too many complications in this, so I couldn’t explain it clearly right now.
To avoid teaching the wrong lesson, I simply said, “Right, hitting Su Liumeng was also mommy’s fault. Next time, I’ll set a good example and won’t do it again.”
“If someone you don’t like tries to grab your hand, you should absolutely slap them away, and slap them hard. No need to be polite at all. But if it’s someone as close as mommy, then you shouldn’t do that. You can express your feelings in other ways. If that doesn’t work, you can hit as a last resort.”
“Do you understand?”
“Ya, ya.” Zhizhi babbled, and from her tone I could tell she understood. I immediately showed her a doting smile, rubbing her soft head, “Mommy’s Zhizhi is so good. But mommy will explain to you, too—when mommy holds your hand, it’s because I think you’re cute and want to be close to you. If you’re unhappy, mommy will pay more attention next time.”
The little one tilted her head, as if pondering the crucial line about “it won’t happen again next time.”
Suddenly, she lifted her little hand again and put it willingly under my palm, her smile even sweeter than before. Seeing it, Shangguan Xiyue almost melted on the spot.
“Ya—”
I paused in surprise, then smiled again. “My daughter is so good.”
“Baby wants to say she likes mommy and wants to hold mommy’s hand, right?”
“Mommy likes her daughter, too.”
“But mommy promises, I’ll never make baby uncomfortable. If you’re upset and want to use your own hand, just struggle a bit. Mommy will feel it and let go right away.”
“This is a promise—a promise between mommy and her daughter, okay?”
“Yee—ya.”
Shangguan Xiyue had already put on her ‘auntie smile’ beside us and couldn’t stop.
Watching this adorable mother-daughter pair and their daily routine, her bad mood vanished completely.
I carried my little daughter and continued walking forward with Shangguan Xiyue.
This incident also served as a reminder: now is when a child’s ability to learn is at its peak. I have to remember that there’s another person in the house, and I can’t just do whatever I want anymore. If I’m not careful, my daughter will see everything.
I need to remember to avoid being seen.
At night, when I get close with Su Liumeng, I should also have the maids take the child away to coax her to sleep.